Iowa Soybean Association worked with multiple experts across soybean producing states to advance the current state of research focused on sustainable production of soybeans. A research trial across 12 states was initiated to enable a crop modeling effort to better understand decision points related to cover crop management and soybean management that have the greatest impact and contribute or reduce risk to soybean profitability. This work will continue in FY25 with the analysis of the 2024 yield data and the continuation of these locations. Cover crop termination timing continues to be a lever that has great impact on soybean production while balancing the effects of enhanced biomass accumulation. A research review and a meta-analysis was initiated to better understand the impacts of different cover crop termination timings related to soybean planting date and subsequent soybean yield. In FY24 Iowa Soybean Association continued to conduct 14 long-term cover crop sites that compared cover crops to no-till practices. ISA also explored nutrient stratification and compaction impacts down to 24 inches while using cover crops versus no cover crops in corn-soy no-till management systems. The use of cover crops significantly reduced nitrates in the spring in soil depths between 0 and 14 inches, but did not have significant impacts on P, K, S, and other micronutrients at any depths. The use of cover crops significantly reduced compaction at all soil depths between 0 and 12 inches, but neither treatment was above the soil compaction threshold for economic concern. ISA was awarded funding to continue this work in FY25 and will have a continued focus on working with partners from the Science for Success group to continue a more detailed assessment of completed research on this topic and a meta-analysis to pull additional findings from the collection of local projects. The project will expand work that is being done to more locations and increase the types of data collected and initiate a consistent communication model for outreach materials to reach farmers and ag professionals supporting farmers.

US farmers currently have a lot of information available to them on sustainable farming practices, but the consistency and quality of the outreach materials affects the impact the information has for the farmer. This effort has targeted a multi-state effort exploring management practices that can greatly affect the amount of risk to soybean production. Science for Success is collaborating on expanding individual state projects and data collection and developing a trusted outlet for outreach materials that will have the breadth of being multi-state, regional or national in scope, but with data local to soybean farmers across most of the soybean growing regions of the US. The efforts from this project will lead to better resources to enhance the success of the Farmers for Soil Health project and enable farmers to make management changes with the correct information to minimize risk and impact on the farm.